CBC dismantles De Smet to claim Metro Catholic championship

The Christian Brothers College Cadets entered week seven looking to make it clear that they are the best football team in the Metro Catholic Conference as well as the St. Louis area.

Consider that task now completed.

Thanks to big performances from quarterback Tyler Creath, running back Jonathan Parker, Tyris Lockhart, timely defense and special-teams play from Bert Birdsall, the Cadets clinched the Metro Catholic title with a resounding 49-12 victory Friday night over host and archrival De Smet Jesuit High School.

“We kept our heads in the whole game and executed play by play until the fourth quarter was over,” Parker said.

Parker had a big hand in helping the CBC offense roll over  the De Smet Jesuit defense as he rushed for 125 yards on 14 carries and a pair of scores.

“I give all the praise to my O-line’ Parker said. “If it wasn’t for the O-line I wouldn’t have done any of that.”
CBC struck  first with a touchdown just five minutes in as Parker scored on a 36-yard run to put the Cadets on top.

A minute and a half into the second quarter, CBC (7-0, 5-0 in Metro Catholic play) reached the end zone again as Creath hooked up with Lockhart on a 9-yard touchdown pass pushing the Cadets to a 14-0 lead. Creath was solid, going 12 for 18 passing for 250 yards and three touchdowns and one interception.

De Smet Jesuit (4-3, 4-1 in conference) got a pair of field goals from Alex Wiese but a 95-yard kick return for a touchdown by Parker gave the Cadets a 21-6 advantage to take into the intermission.

Lockhart scored his second touchdown of the night in the third quarter on a 58-yard heave from Creath and with just 3:29 left in the quarter, Parker scored on a 72-yard zigzag catch and run to the house which made it 35-6.

The steady big-play attack and tough defense of CBC was just too much for a physical but outmatched De Smet Jesuit squad to overcome.

“It’s real simple, a better team beat us,” De Smet Jesuit coach Pat Mahoney said.” We didn’t play anywhere near our potential and a better team beat us. In a game of two-hand touch I don’t think we could have beaten them tonight.”

Marcus Jester got the Spartans into double digits with a 2-yard TD run with 10:09 left in the fourth quarter making it 35-12. The two-point conversion failed.

CBC responded with two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes as Bert Birdsall capped of the Cadets latest win with a nifty 65-yard punt return to close out scoring. Birdsall also intercepted a pass as well.

“Bert is a helluva football player but he’s a better kid,” CBC coach Scott Pingel said.” He does everything we’ve ever asked, he’s a great guy and he’s a captain so he’s a special kid and not just a football player.”

The defense also loomed large for the Cadets as Armon Wells led the way with 6.5 tackles.